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August 22, 2017

Federal agencies face a cascading series of challenges before and after a presidential election and into the early months of a new administration. Throughout the transition, the Partnership for Public Service brought together agency transition leaders from nearly 40 agencies to help improve this process. From these convenings, the Partnership and The Boston Consulting Group have compiled best practices into a guide for senior career leaders.

Another threat to Trump’s presidency: empty seats throughout his administrationIn the News

May 21, 2017

"Getting the 2020 count right on a lower budget would be a huge headache for the top leadership of the Census Bureau. If, that is, the bureau had top leadership. The director of the Census Bureau, John Thompson, abruptly announced his resignation earlier this month, and the position of deputy secretary and chief operating officer has been left empty by the Trump administration. So, for that matter, has the position of under secretary for economic affairs at the Commerce Department, the appointee who oversees the Census Bureau. As of Friday, in fact, Secretary Wilbur Ross was the sole senior appointee in the entire department to have been confirmed."

At a White House in crisis, Trump look increasingly isolatedIn the News

May 20, 2017

"At the same time, Trump's failure to fill senior roles at federal agencies means he does not have a cadre of loyalists who can help rein in a bureaucracy that many in Trump’s orbit believe are out to leak information intended to damage the president. That has worsened the isolation of the White House in a city that relies on friends and allies to shake off a crisis."

Trump confronts global cyber crisis with a staff marked by vacanciesIn the News

May 15, 2017

Here’s how far behind Trump is on political appointments compared to Obama, BushIn the News

May 12, 2017

"President Donald Trump has begun to move on naming federal judges and will eventually be naming a new FBI director, but more broadly, he remains slow in filling political appointments compared to his predecessors."

May 11, 2017

"There are plenty of big questions about President Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James B. Comey: What does this mean for the investigation into the ties of Trump associates to Russia? How will this affect the likelihood of a special prosecutor being called in? But there's another question — less weighty but still important — that many people have asked since Comey's startling dismissal: Why did it happen this way?"

HUD boss Carson sings a new tune about federal workers as finalists are honored for their good worksIn the News

May 10, 2017

"The bacon was still on the tables at a Capitol Hill breakfast honoring federal employees Tuesday when Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson admitted to a wake-up call. He had heard, he said, that government employees 'didn’t work very hard.'"

Trump is losing his Census director, which could matter more than James Comey’s firingIn the News

May 09, 2017

"Donald Trump's administration's bad week is getting a lot worse, even after his surprise firing of FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday. The director of the U.S. Census Bureau, John H. Thompson, announced his resignation this week as the agency faces a funding crisis leading up to the 2020 decennial count, the Washington Post reported. His resignation will be effective June 30, the Commerce Department announced on Tuesday."

Trump’s ‘help wanted’ signIn the News

May 09, 2017

"Beyond the marquee difficulties of President Trump's early months in office — the bollixed-up travel ban, the Michael Flynn debacle and so on — is an unsexy but important example in the fundamental realm of governance. By that we mean staffing the administration. Trump has filled fewer than 5% of 556 key executive branch positions in the federal government, well below other incoming presidents and an underperformance that goes to the core of competence."

May 09, 2017

"The finalists annoucement coincided with President Trump recently proclaiming May 7-13 Public Service Recognition Week. “Throughout the first 100 days, I have seen the tremendous work civil servants do to fulfill our duty to the American people,” Trump said in the proclamation."

Honoring public servants in uncertain timesIn the News

May 08, 2017

"Following the arrival of a new administration, a federal hiring freeze that lasted three months and now the initial designs of a massive reorganization of the civilian workforce, the week-long celebration acknowledging the service provided by public sector workers comes at a time of much uncertainty. While the contribution of federal employees remains pivotal, the face and function of that workforce is undergoing a rapid transformation that has only accelerated under the Trump administration."

May 04, 2017

"Secretary of State Rex Tillerson walked department employees through his plans to reorganize the agency on Wednesday, echoing many of the Trump administration’s talking points about its larger goal of reducing the federal workforce."

Appointee watch: The 100-Day MarkIn the News

May 02, 2017

"Since January, the administration has been slow to appoint people to high-level jobs at federal agencies. There are about 4,000 political appointee positions across the federal government, 1,100 of which require Senate confirmation."

The Partnership for Public Service is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that believes good government starts with good people. We help government serve the needs of all Americans by strengthening the civil service and the systems that support it.